January 2023 - Monthly Challenge

[Gord]

Starting our 16th year of monthly challenges! Thanks for playing along. It's sort of fun to see what's been seen and to maybe fill some holes by going searching for more localized species such as dippers along the river and so forth. We're in the middle of winter and a lot of what we see is rather weather dependent. Good places to visit are Sumas Prairie for raptors and gulls if conditions are mild and the fields are wet. Junco flocks can have other kinds of birds mixed in so it's always worth checking them. Our feeders are often their most busy at this time of year making for some good bird watching conditions on cold days from inside the house!

Breakdown by year for January

2008 – 113 species recorded
2009 – 104 species recorded
2010 – 99 species recorded
2011 - 116 species recorded
2012 - 102 species recorded
2013 - 108 species recorded
2014 - 116 species recorded
2015 - 117 species recorded
2016 - 106 species recorded
2017 - 91 species recorded
2018 - 103 species recorded
2019 - 118 species recorded
2020 - 96 species recorded
2021 - 97 species recorded
2022 - 110 species recorded

Average species for January 106

Last updated January 24

Species seen to date 101

To view a list of missing species for the month, click here.

Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Cackling Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Northern Pintail
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal
Redhead
Canvasback
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Ruddy Duck
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Horned Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine Falcon
Ruffed Grouse
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian-collared Dove
Short-eared Owl
Barred Owl
Anna's Hummingbird
American Coot
Short-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Iceland Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Glaucous Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
American Bittern
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Shrike
California Scrub Jay
Steller's Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Black-capped Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren
American Dipper
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Hermit Thrush
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple Finch
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Red Crossbill
Evening Grosbeak
Western Meadowlark
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Sparrow

[kenneth2019]

Canada Goose
Northern Shrike
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee

[Bentley]

Cackling Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
GW Teal
RN Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
PB Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Anna's Hummingbird
American Coot
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
DC Cormorant
GB Heron
RT Hawk
RL Hawk
Belted Kingfisher
Hairy Woodpecker
RC Kinglet
GC Kinglet
RB Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Hermit Thrush
Purple Finch
Swamp Sparrow
RW Blackbird

[Chris]

Western Meadowlark from Sumas Prairie.

[Randy]

I can add evening grosbeak and white-tailed ptarmigan from sasquatch yesterday and today.

I had a good sized flock of Grosbeaks while skiing today and yesterday my wife and daughter came across about 6 ptarmigan on one of the runs. Today on the green chair lift I noted a LOT of ptarmigan tracks!

[Krissi]

Here’s what I’ve got so far that isn’t on the list:

Snow Goose - Sumas Prairie (Nelles)
Redhead - Sumas Prairie (Nelles)
Northern Pintail - Sumas Prairie (Nelles)
Northern Shoveler - Gladwin Flats - Water treatment plant
American Coot - Mill Lake
Short-Billed Gull - Glen Valley
Short-Eared Owl - Sumas Prairie (Birchwood Dairy area)
Sharp-Shinned Hawk - Heron Reserve
Merlin - Matsqui Flats
American Kestrel - Matsqui Flats, Sumas Prairie
Horned Lark - Banford Rd
Pacific Wren - Matsqui Trail (Gladwin entrance)
Brown-Headed Cowbird - Glen Valley
Brewer’s Blackbird - Glen Valley

[Krissi]

Adding a few more:

American Goldfinch (Fish Trap, Mill Lake)
Ring-Billed Gull (Kilby)
Peregrine Falcon (Sumas Prairie)

[Gord]

Nice birds everyone. Good to see some Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warbler after that cold. Hermit Thrush nice in the winter but double nice after that aforementioned cold. Bentley, solid find on the Swamp Sparrow. Randy, we don't have many January White-tailed Ptarmigan records nicely added. Evening Grosbeak also nice they're so unreliable and getting rarer I believe. Short-eared Owl likewise a great month addition.

[Chris]

Dipper from the Vedder River.

[Bentley]

Northern Harrier and Savannah Sparrow from Chwk Central Saturday
And Horned Grebe, Canvasback, and Tundra Swan from Sunday
California Gull

[birder1942]

Red-Breasted sapsucker in Glen valley. John Vooys

[Chris]

Had three Lincoln's Sparrows on the Jess Rd Dyke this afternoon. Yesterday, in the same location there were none. Always makes me wonder what I/we miss.

[Gord]

Wow, half way through January already but we're on pace to meet the average species.

Lincoln's Sparrow a good winter find, especially after a hard cold, and also a stark reminder of there is indeed plenty we miss as we walk along.

Likewise California Gull not something to expect in the winter I guess they like to live up to their name when it gets cold. They and the swallows just over 6 weeks away though to be back in numbers.

I added Red Crossbill and Northern Goshawk from Elk Mtn area. It's been awhile since my last Red Crossbill sighting.

[Randy]

I can add chestnut-backed chickadee - regular visitors to my feeders

[rockpigeon]

Had a surprise American Bittern fly past at Willband this morning